Dave Grohl, Beck, Moby And More Speak Out On The Importance Of Voting Tuesday

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 01: (L-R) Musician Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performs onstage as guest drummer with Beck during the Last Weekend Kickoff LA Presented by Swing Left at The Palace Theatre on November 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

There was a wonderfully light-hearted moment backstage at the alternative all-star benefit, Last Weekend Kick Off LA, presented by Swing Left, a rally to inspire fans to get out and vote this Tuesday, November 6.

Dave Grohl, who had just been talking with Congressman Adam Schiff and a member of his staff, was standing with Beck and Moby, while the Yeah Yeah Yeah Karen O and Nick Zinner sat in a conversation close by. Grohl was joking about learning the "floss dance," and a few others joined in.

Beck quipped, "This is what happens backstage." It was one of several moments of frivolity in what was a joyous night. But even in the midst of all this no one lost sight of the importance of the message -- get out and vote!

For Moby, an outspoken critic of the current administration, for Grohl, a father of three girls, this was about making a difference. I spoke exclusively backstage with Grohl, Moby and Beck about music and politics, the importance of this election and more.

Steve Baltin: Why do you feel it's important musicians get out and support and encourage people to vote?

Beck: Younger people have the numbers, there are so many of them. I think there are four or five times more of them than there were my generation, so they have a strong voice.

Baltin: But so many people either get apathetic or think their vote doesn't count. So what would you tell them to encourage them to vote?

Beck: Go vote, use your voice and take that power. At this time there's a lot to contend with.

Moby: They are conflating national elections with midterms. Sure, if you vote in California and you're one of the two million more people who voted for Hillary than Trump you can say that your vote might not have voted that much. Midterms, talking about House races, state, local legislature, there are district's that are won by less than five votes. Those same people don't understand Gerrymandered districts and how some of these districts will be won by literally 10, 20, 30 votes. And it's not inconceivable that the Republicans will retain control of the house because of one district. And it's not even inconceivable that one district will be lost by one vote. That could be the narrative on November 10. "If two more people had voted in Pennsylvania's fifteenth the Democrats would have taken control of the house." It's within the realm of the possibility. Voting always matters. But in the midterms it really, really matters.

Baltin: It's always got to be fun when you get to play drums for someone else's band. So who is the dream person to play drums for?

Dave Grohl: AC/DC. That's my last one, that's it. Phil Rudd is back though. If you dive back into their back catalog, that early s**t, there was a little bit more dynamic, then they settled into the groove. That's the thing. And it's because of Phil Rudd. It's AC/DC, but that guy holds the key.

Baltin: What made you come out to this tonight?

Grohl: Growing up outside of Washington, DC, the underground music scene there was always very political. So from the Dischord bands to a lot of the bands from the suburbs if there was an event or a protest that involved music it was usually one of our bands. So I played Amnesty International, I've marched with drums and stood outside of the South African Embassy, these punk percussion protests against Apartheid.

Baltin: Talk about how inspiring it is for you to see this next generation of musicians get involved.

Grohl: I remember when we played the Live Earth benefit 10 years ago, long time ago, more than anyone I was thinking of my daughters. She was in the forefront of my mind taking her generation into consideration. And so a lot of the issues everyone's talking about here apply to not only us, but my children. So as a father there is some responsibility to help.

Baltin: Talk about the discourse that exists today.

Grohl: You do [have to fight back], but at the same time I do believe in when they go low you go high. I do believe in that. And I think about that every day. First thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check the f**king news. I don't just check one news agent. I go through about six of them, just to see what's going on. And that in itself is a little bit of a pickle. And I look and see what's happening on the other side and there are times I think, "Oh god, I hope we give it to them." But then I think someone has to hold a little bit of civility. I honestly think there is some currency to when they go low you go high cause otherwise we're so f**ked. I remember when my father was working on Capitol Hill that on Sunday's he would take me to this bar in Georgetown called Nathan's and it's sort of where a lot of the writers and PR guys and some politicians would come just to drink scotch. And they would all talk and get along, people from both sides of the aisle could step outside of the office and come down to Nathan's and actually talk about stuff. I miss those days when people could sit down and really talk with each other. I think it's still possible.

Moby: I think Obama would admit that was one of his mistakes. He assumed that there was a degree of civility and interest that there used to be. And that's the interesting thing about the ACA. Like Obamacare was a Republican program. Mitt Romney originally developed that when he was the governor of Massachusetts. So when Obama launched it nationally he just assumed the Republicans would love it cause it was their program. But they hated him so much and they were so obstructionist, I think he really learned, especially during the second term, just how uninterested the Republicans actually are in actually governing. So what's interesting though is the nuanced strategic ways in which different candidates try to win. And there is no such thing as a one size fits all national strategy. What works for Conor Lamb will not for Mike Levin. What works for Katie Hill won't work for someone in Maine. Especially the House, it's regional. I know some people have been annoyed by lack of a big message, but the House is weird little Gerrymandered districts and people want specific answers.

Baltin: With so many different issues, how do you determine where to put your time and money?

Moby: Every single issue that I care about benefits from a good result during the midterms. If the Democrats take the House, if they magically take the Senate and state houses and local legislatures and state attorney general, every single issue I care about benefits from that. In a way, I hate to say this, I've been annoyed when people invite me to things that are not midterms related. I'm on Act Blue constantly, donating here, different 501c4's and 527's and individual candidates. I know way too much about campaign finance law. Not enough because it's so nuanced, weird and complicated, but to answer your question, I just sort of say yes to everything as long as it's related to November 6.

I have written for Billboard, Rolling Stone, the L.A. Times, Yahoo, Vice and every other major publication as well as host the Hulu interview series Riffing With and teach music journalism for Grammy Camp. I have had countless amazing experiences in music, from tea with Nei...